The relationships between soft and hard factors of the Toyota way: a socio-technical perspective
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Issued Date
2022-01-01
Resource Type
ISSN
19369735
eISSN
19369743
Scopus ID
2-s2.0-85138231520
Journal Title
Operations Management Research
Rights Holder(s)
SCOPUS
Bibliographic Citation
Operations Management Research (2022)
Suggested Citation
Vanichchinchai A. The relationships between soft and hard factors of the Toyota way: a socio-technical perspective. Operations Management Research (2022). doi:10.1007/s12063-022-00318-z Retrieved from: https://repository.li.mahidol.ac.th/handle/123456789/84411
Title
The relationships between soft and hard factors of the Toyota way: a socio-technical perspective
Author(s)
Author's Affiliation
Other Contributor(s)
Abstract
This research aims to investigate the effects of the soft Respect for People pillar of the original Toyota Way proposed by Fujio Cho and its elements (respect, and teamwork) on the hard Continuous Improvement pillar and its elements (challenge, kaizen, genchi-genbutsu). Structural equation modelling was employed to test hypotheses at three levels (pillar to pillar, element to pillar, and element to element) from data gathered from 216 automotive parts manufacturers. It was found that Respect for People and its elements had significant positive impacts on Continuous Improvement and its elements, except for the insignificant effect of respect on kaizen. This is one of the first research projects to examine the influences of soft dimensions on hard dimensions of the Toyota Way. It confirms the merging of soft factors into the lean manufacturing framework as a socio-technical system for more efficient and sustainable technical improvements.